


Time passes

by mckirk



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, M/M, Major Illness, Mentions of Cancer, Romance, mckirk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:48:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1762201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mckirk/pseuds/mckirk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone died someday, Leonard knew that much, and the evening Jim started complaining about aches and pains in god knows where, he'd just shrugged it off as whining for attention- he hadn't, he wouldn't consider the fact that it was anything more, but when the pain got, 'trip to the hospital' bad and showed no signs of ceasing, the couples world was turned upside down in a second that would define everything after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"For god's sake Jim! You're always complaining about something."

Leonard clutched a magazine and sat rigidly on the end of the couch, reaching forward now and then to nurse a steaming mug of tea. Jim was fiddling about with his side next to Leonard, "It's kinda bad this time, shouldn't we go see someone?"

Leonard sighed and rolled his eyes, "I'm a doctor, Jim. I've done every test under the sun with what I have available and you're clear."

"Yeah..." Jim writhed a little, "but you don't have everything to test me with, if we went somewhere then I could just be sure."

Leonard cursed under his breath, "Oh fine, I don't see why we'd need to visit the hospital for a little ache, but if it'll make you shut up then we can go in the morning."

Jim smiled and nodded a little. Leonard never could work out why Jim had to ask him for permission before he could do something, he had his own car, he could drive, and he could damn well drive himself down to the hospital if we wasn't so lazy and dependent, but it was something about the way Jim would peer up at him with those little pathetic eyes when he wanted something that tore Leonard's concrete-encrusted (or so it seemed, sometimes.) heart in two.

The Television blared on in the background and Leonard continued to flick through his magazine and chewed over each page. Jim drew closer to Leonard's side and flung his legs up onto the sofa, resting his head on Leonard's lap in an awkward laze. 

Leonard huffed and broke into a little laugh when he saw Jim's face, "You're fucking annoying, but you're cute and I love you, stop being cute." 

Jim pouted his lips and widened his gaze on Leonard, "I can't, it's my natural face, I'm naturally cute."

Leonard smirked, "You're not naturally cute, you're naturally annoying, you put on a cute face to make yourself less annoying, and it only works sometimes."

Jim peered over at Leonard's magazine and scanned a page, "It works all the time, and you know it."

~

Beams of light peered through their bedroom curtains and grew across the room. Leonard opened his eyes lazily to the dreary bleep of the alarm clock. Jim was sprawled across the bed, tangled in covers and only leaving Leonard a piddly little corner.

"Morning."

Jim twitched a little and groaned.

"Morning Jim."

Another groan. 

"Jesus Christ, don't think I won't slap you, because I will."

Jim peeled open his eyes and creaked into motion, "It's too early, what is it, like, 6:00am?"

Leonard grumbled, "It's 9:00am."

Jim reached across the bed, grabbed a pillow from beneath Leonard, and wrapped it around his head.

"You're a lazy little brat, you know that?" Leonard teased.

Jim laughed beneath the cushion, "Sleep is nice, waking up isn't, I choose sleep."

"No, you choose going to the hospital for your little ache, the appointments at 10:00am, and you can't go there swathed in covers and stark naked."

"I have boxers on."

Leonard smacked the cushion that Jim had been holding over his face, receiving a sharp moan from the man beneath.

"Yeah, and surprisingly that's still not an acceptable amount of clothing to wear in a public place, now get up."

In response to Leonard's demands, Jim slid out of bed and traipsed over to the bathroom, rubbing his side lightly. He took about 5 minutes preening and emerged with gelled hair and fresh breath, yet still only wearing his bedclothes. 

Leonard looked quizically at Jim's head, "What's the point in doing your hair when you're not changed into your clothes?"

Jim stood silently for a second and then cursed under his breath, snatching up his t-shirt from the bedroom floor and easing it over his head lightly, emerging as a tangled mess.

Leonard laughed, "Told you. Now, ready?"


	2. Chapter 2

The hospital was only a few blocks away, so they decided to take a walk. Well, Leonard decided to take a walk and Jim fluttered about behind him with his hand pressed under his coat.

Jim groaned under his breath and huffed, "The hospital feels further away than it usually does."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on Jim. It can't be that painful, man up."

Jim pulled at the zipper on his coat and dragged it open, so that he had more room to move his hand about, as the pain seemed to be shifting about indecisively.

"I've never had a stomach ache this bad before, and for this long." 

Leonard stopped for a second and allowed Jim, panting slightly, to catch up with him. He felt around for Jim's hand and held it tightly. They strolled on for a few steps until Leonard felt a tug at his coat. Jim had collapsed to his knees and clutched his side tightly.

Leonard swung his head around, "Jesus christ."

Behind heaving breaths Jim groaned a little and cursed, "Your god-damn right Jesus Christ! I can't walk, call an ambulance."

Leonard fumbled around in his pockets and withdrew a mobile, he typed in the number for the emergency services quickly and pressed the phone against his face, tapping his feet impatiently. He was put through after a few seconds.

"911, What's your emergency?"

"Yes, Hi.. um, my friend, he's got a really bad stomach ache or something, and he's just collapsed to the floor and apparently he can't get up. We're en route to the hospital right now, but something tells me we're not gonna make it on foot."

The operator chimed in again, "Would you be able to tell me where you are please?"

Leonard gazed over at a sign a few feet from where they were.

"Uh, 22nd street, I think, like, right in the middle, please hurry."

"We're on our way, thank you for your co-operation."

Leonard hung up the phone and kneeled down next to Jim, who was still crippled in pain.

"How bad is it, are you gonna die or something? I'd rather you didn't do it here."

Jim coughed gutturally, "W-what sort of question is that?" 

Leonard glanced back for a second, "I'm panicked. I don't know what I'm saying."

Jim rolled his eyes through the pain and laughed a touch, "You're an idiot, is the ambulance coming?"

"They're on their way. They shouldn't be long. Stay with me, OK?"

~

The walls of the hospital waiting room were whitewashed and bare. Leonard perched on the end of a similarly plain settee in the corner of the room, hands tensely clutching the corners of a coffee table, which was peppered with old magazines. A woman wearing a doctor's coat strolled through the double doors that led into the waiting area, a clipboard pressed tightly against her chest. Leonard peered up and jumped to his feet.

"Hi, Is my friend OK?"

She tilted her head slightly, "You're James Kirk's friend, right?"

"That would be me, is he doing OK?"

She gazed down at the clipboard for a few seconds, "So far, he seems stable. We're not quite sure at present when he'll be discharged. We still have test results going through."

Leonard stomach flipped, "Tests?"

"Just the general procedure. A man comes in with such acute pain in such a specific area then we need to inquire about what the cause might be."

Leonard paused for a second and nodded his head tamely, "Can I atleast go in and see him yet?"

The nurse pursed her lips," I'm afraid he won't be ready for a while, he's pretty high on pain-killers at present. I imagine he'll be suitably grounded by morning, if you'd like to return tomorrow."


End file.
